The Dual Bender
by Luna WhiteWolf
Summary: A girl from our world one day takes a plunge into the one place she hates the most, a winter tundra. What will she find out there and will she be able to figure out how the hell to get back? And what's this deal about being able to bend two elements?
1. How I Got Here

**Hey everyone! Yup, I've started my own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ fanfic! ^.^ I hope you enjoy this story ;) It mostly follows the episodes in order but with a few things of my own as well.**

**This chapter is mainly how the person happened to "stumble" upon the _Avatar_ world. Enjoy!**

I yawned loudly as I stretched my arms above my head. I was walking along the bike trail that goes across a river and along it. I was standing on the middle of the bridge now, leaning over the tall railing so I could see into the water. It was quite shallow so I was able to see the bottom quite easily when the sun shone on the water. I was sent to check if there were any fish in it yet, though I didn't see any. I thought it was pointless, coming down here to check if there were fish because this was spring. Well, I don't really know how the fish run in spring, but it was still quite cold with a few un-melted patches of snow left on the ground. I didn't mind though, I loved to walk around and now I really loved walking down by this river because I had seen lots of garter snakes the other day. I had caught one that was calm and didn't mind us so it didn't try to bite or give off a warning smell that makes predators lose interest. It just kept slithering away like it was still trying to hunt for food on the ground. I had eventually let it go after a while.

I tighten my sweater closer to my body as a chill wind swept passed me and I walked to the other side of the bridge so I could walk along the path that goes down beside the river, where you could actually launch a small boat like a canoe or something from. I walked down that path quietly and kept scanning my eyes along the small hill that's in between the path I'm on and that path that's above me. The garter snakes were all over along that slope! I was excited to catch another, if I wasn't scared this time. I liked garter snakes, but I didn't like the thought of one biting me, or giving off that horrid smell.

The dried grass blew together in the wind, making me stop and stare beside me. But I knew it was just a false alarm, even though the snakes sounded the same way when they slithered through the grass. I kept walking slowly and quietly down the path until I actually caught movement at the corner of my eye. I stopped and stared in that direction and, sure enough, a snake was moving through an open path between a patch of grass and a small bush. It looked like it was hunting but I didn't care. I slowly walked over to it, careful not to let my shadow fall on it, make any sudden movements or step too heavily. I knelt down and watched as the garter snake slithered around searching for insects to eat in the grass. I smiled softly and I got the urge to try and catch it but then I stopped myself, just being fascinated by watching it.

Of course, the snake never did catch anything. It was just searching for any sign of food. Maybe it would catch something when I left? Probably. But I didn't care. Deciding to leave it alone, I got up and walked back to the path I was previously on and walked down the end of the path that ends by going into the water smoothly like a loading dock. It was for loading and unloading small boats into the water. Though, it was probably mainly used for canoes and such. I ungracefully jumped onto the rock that jutted out of the water's surface and stared out into the water. The water was deeper over here and I couldn't really see the bottom or any fish.

I just remembered that I had my phone and I mentally face-palmed. I could have taken a picture of the snake! But of course, whenever you are intrigued by something, you forget about all other things. My phone vibrated for a second before growing still, startling me in making me flinch. My heart racing from the sudden feel I hadn't been expecting, I grabbed my phone from my sweater pocket and I checked what it was. No one texted me. It was just my two games that I played, Dragon Story and Pet Shop Story, notifying me that my exhibits were ready to collect the coins that I made. I sighed; it did that to me every time. It got annoying after a while, but there was nothing I could do to make it stop.

Then, suddenly a blinding blue light was shining in my face and I had to close my eyes. After a moment or two, I blinked open my eyes and looked around to find that the source of the light was coming from something in the water next to me. I blinked my eyes a few more times as I shoved my phone back in my pocket. I knelt down on the rock, trying to figure out what it was. What the hell was it? I couldn't tell what it was because the light was all that I could see. Curious as to what it was, I reached my hand into the water and tried to grab it. And suddenly, everything was a blinding white color.

The next thing I know is that I'm staring out across the ocean with icebergs dotting the dark blue surface here and there. Shocked and confused I leapt back to get away from the edge of the ice I was standing on. I hated being by open water, I never did like swimming with fish and I absolutely _hated_ sharks! I never liked them, all I thought they knew was to bite anything they saw or sensed movement in the water. And I never liked that thought. It always scared me to think that my dad wanted to go diving into a cage to go swimming in the ocean with the sharks. I shuddered at the thought, but it was mostly because of the cold. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered violently. All I was wearing was a light t-shirt and a sweater over it. I wasn't prepared for this kind of weather. I didn't even know how I got here or where I was in the first place.

I quickly looked around and saw a hill behind me. At least I was standing on a good, large, solid chunk of land-ice. With snow. Shivering, I quickly made my way over to and up the hill, wanting to get a better look at the land around me and wondering if I could somehow figure out where I was. Once I reached the top, I gasped softly. A small village made out of ice and snow was just a little ways in front of me.

_Yes_, I thought. _Civilization! I can finally find out where I am!_

I quickly, as fast as my legs would go in the ankle-deep snow, walked down the hill and through the snow. All I wanted to do was get to that village and get warm. That was the first thing on my mind now. I shivered violently. I hated the cold and anything that had to do with winter. I mean, I liked the snow and all, but I just _hated_ the cold. And I hated it with a passion even more now than ever. I wrapped my arms around myself even tighter as I shivered. Oh god… This was just horrible. One second I was standing beside a river and the next I find myself in this frozen tundra. What was going on today? And what's worse, my toes were now numb inside my shoes, snow was packed inside my shoes from walking around, my skin probably had a layer of frost by now, and I was just frozen to the bone. I think I could feel hypothermia coming on… Great, just my luck… I hope I don't die before I even get there. That would be bad. Actually, bad probably wouldn't be the best word to describe it, but I can't even think of anything else at the moment…

The village didn't seem to be any closer, but I knew it was. I glanced over my shoulder, my teeth chattering loudly, to see the hill a few yards away. Yep, I was making progress. But I wasn't sure if it was enough. After a few more steps, I began to stumble. Nope, it wasn't enough. My eyes were now watering horribly and I couldn't blink it away. I stumbled some more and I fell to my knees, using one hand to support myself. Oh god, I regretted that! My hand now frozen more than it already was, I pushed myself slowly to my feet and began to force myself forward. I just had to get to that village… I _needed_ to…

A sound being brought over by the wind caught my attention. I was sure my skin was pale and probably a little blue by now. Oh god, I was _so cold_. I glanced over my shoulder to scan the area behind me. It seemed empty save for the snow. My eyes squinted before I coughed and faced forward to walk again. The sound came again and this time I could distinguish an unknown voice. The voice was calling something, or rather, some_one_. I glanced over my shoulder once more and this time, I could see three figures coming over the hill I had just come from and running towards me easily in the snow. Even from this far away, I could see the colors they were wearing. Two of them were wearing blue while the other who seemed to be hopping around was wearing yellow and orange. Their voices carried towards me and I could tell that they were calling _me_, but I was so out of it that I couldn't distinguish what they were actually saying. I coughed and stumbled again, but this time I couldn't catch myself. I fell down and landed with my face in the snow.

Snow was quickly draining my energy and I couldn't really move. So, instead of getting back up to start walking again, I curled up on my side and tried to keep as much body heat I had left conserved. I didn't even know if I had any left. I didn't know how long I had been lying there, minutes, seconds. I couldn't tell. But soon, the three figures stood over me and were speaking. I opened my eyes a crack to look at them from the corners of my eyes but all I could see were blurs of colors. I couldn't see their faces. I could hear their voices but I couldn't tell what they were saying. I blinked a few times and opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a whimper. I closed my eyes and curled even more into myself before consciousness finally slipped from my grasp, and everything went black.

***gasps* No! Don't die! D: You have to survive dammit! .**

**Anyways lol yup. That's what happened. She found a blue light and ended up in the worst place she _hates the most_. A winter tundra. Omg she hates the cold just as much as i do D: I love snow and all but I just _hate _the cold .**

**Anyways, I have about... four more chapters written out already so I'll post them everyday if I can. Plz review!**

**P.S. - Oh, and I want all of your opinions. Should this be a Zuko x _ fanfic or a Sokka x _ fanfic? I mean, she'll get captured by Zuko and all still. But I just want your opinion if I should have her stay with Zuko or have her escape one time and end up back with the GAang. :3**


	2. Meeting the GAang

**Hey Everyone! Back with another chapter of The Dual Bender! :D I hope you enjoy!**

**Oh, and I had someone assume that her sweater was supposed to be heavier than the coats that the Water Tribe were wearing or something like that. o.O The Water Tribe coats looked heavy for the that winter tundra they live in. And the pink sweater isn't heavy either. It is a very light, kind of furry sweater. Just a bit furry but not much. And just so you know what it looks like, it looks like this - ( img1 . etsystatic 002 /0/ 6452492/ il _ full x full . 382349577 _ 989j .jpg ) (but without all those damn spaces in between..) but its pink instead of black with the white snowflakes :3 oh and it doesn't even repel water either. It just soaks the rain right up cuz its a kind of soft sweater, you know?**

When my senses finally started coming back to me, I could feel warmth. I didn't remember feeling it before. I could still feel the coldness on my cheeks and I curled up into myself once more. I felt a material touch the skin of my chin and cheek. Eyebrows wrinkling in confusion, I opened my eyes slowly to find out what it was. Oh, it was just a blanket. Smiling to myself, I closed my eyes once more and snuggled deeper into the blanket. I didn't want to leave the warmth ever again. I then remembered what had happened before I had passed out. I had been walking in the snowy tundra, trying to reach the nearby village when a few people had come to my side when I had fallen.

Blinking my eyes open once more, I looked around my surroundings. I was in a hut of some sort. It was some sort of shade of blue. A dark blue maybe? I was still out of it so I couldn't really tell. The sun shone brightly on the snow outside of the hut, I could see from the small gap in the flap. Reluctantly, I sat up and saw a blue coat with fur on it hanging near the flap. I sighed softly. I might as well get up and ask around while I can. No need to stay inside with the warm… blanket… I need to find out where I am so that I can get home and get away from all this snow. I quickly got up and threw the coat around myself. I wrapped it tightly around myself and snuggled into it before moving the flap aside and exiting the hut.

When the flap swished shut behind me, I blinked in surprise and took a step back. I was in the close proximity of another boy. He had his hair pulled back into a ponytail and he had blue eyes. He leaped back in surprise as well and held out a metal boomerang looking thing I thought I recognized. He held it out in front of him, pointing it threateningly at me.

"Who are you and what are you doing here," he demanded.

I immediately held my hands up in submission without thinking. "I...I," I stammered trying to search for words that suddenly left my mind completely blank.

"Well? You're one of them, aren't you," he demanded once more, but this time in a shout.

I'm completely confused. "Who…?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about! They've raged war on the world for a hundred years now!" I blinked. A hundred years of war? Now that definitely sounded familiar. And this boy looked familiar too, though I couldn't put my finger on it. "_The Fire Nation!_" He spat the name with a growl like it was the most disgusting words he had ever used in his life.

My breath hitched in my throat as my eyes widened slowly. "F-Fire… Nation?" I stammered out. This can't be happening. There is no way in hell that this is Sokka! Am I in my favorite TV show? How the hell did I get in _Avatar: The Last Airbender_?! This is just… impossible! I swayed a bit but I managed to steady myself before I fainted from complete shock. "N-No… I… I'm not from… the Fire Nation," I managed out in a low, almost squeaky voice.

"Don't lie to me!" Sokka took a step forward with his boomerang still pointed at my face. I took a step back with my hands still raised.

"I-I'm not," I said in a much more confident voice, though I was still _so_ very confused and shocked about this whole situation. I blinked when his words clicked something in my head. The familiar sarcastic voice rang clearly in my head. 'Don't lie to me!' My boyfriend or rather, my _ex_-boyfriend said that all the time. I knew he was just trying to be funny about it. He's always making me laugh, no matter what he does. May it be the stare he gives me with that look on his face – that _always_ makes me laugh, no matter how serious I'm trying to be – or whatever he's talking about, he always manages to make me laugh. That brought a smile to my face, though it was only a small one.

"Sokka!"

The familiar female voice made me snap out of my thoughts and I looked to see Sokka's sister, Katara, come running over to us.

"Sokka, what are you doing," Katara asked him. "Stop harassing her, I don't think she's from the Fire Nation."

"You don't know that, she could be a spy!" Sokka retorted, still not changing his mind about me. "She even stole one of our coats!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," I started, feeling ashamed for taking it now. "I hope you don't mind. I just didn't want to freeze like last time, and I don't exactly have anything that's heavy enough for this weather…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I put it there so that you _could_ use it in case you woke up," Katara said with a smile. "My name is Katara and my paranoid brother is Sokka."

"I kn- I mean, it's nice to meet you," I stammered, forcing a smile. "My name is…" I stopped myself there. My name in this world would seem too strange to them… Should I think of a different name to use? Yeah, I think that would be wise. It would have to be one of my favorite Japanese names… Oh, dammit… What was it again? Hmm, Naomi or Tikari? I think I'll go with Naomi. It seems legit. "My name is… Naomi."

"It's nice to meet you too, Naomi," Katara said. She then grabbed my hand, ignoring Sokka completely or forgetting that he was there, and began to lead me away. "Come on, I want you to meet someone!" I blinked but followed her anyway. She had led me around the village and over to where a giant fluffy creature thing with a brown arrow on its head was. I immediately knew who that was, too. It was Appa. And a boy – Aang – in yellow and orange clothes stood in front of the six-legged bison, petting his head. He turned to watch us run over to him. "Aang, I want you to meet someone," Katara said. "Aang, this is Naomi. Naomi, this is Aang."

"And that's Appa," Aang said cheerfully. Appa let out a growl-like roar and shook his head.

"Hi," I said almost shyly, lifting a hand and waving with my fingers instead of my whole hand. I did that most times. Otherwise, I would shake my hand up and down from the wrist like a stupid or extremely hyper person. But it's always because I like saying hello to people, and hugging. I like to hug people, too. Though, I won't go around hugging random strangers. I'll only hug the people I know, like my friends at school.

Aang suddenly got an idea. He turned to me with his usual childishly happy expression. "Will you go penguin sledding with me?"

I blinked in surprise before giggling softly. I knew this was bound to happen. In the first episode, that was all he ever asked Katara actually, that is until they stumbled upon the old Fire Nation ship in the ice somewhere. I smiled, suddenly having the urge to actually try it out. It _did_ sound like fun now that I think about it. "Sure!" Aang's silver-gray eyes sparkled and he smiled. "Oh, and thank you for saving me, I didn't think I would have made it if you guys hadn't come along," I told them.

"Speaking of that," Aang started.

"How did you get all the way out here in the first place," Katara finished.

"Yes, tell us."

I blinked and turned to see Sokka standing behind me. Geez, he really knows how to sneak up on people.

"I-I don't know," I replied softly, looking down. I really didn't know how I had gotten here. If anything, this was all just a dream. I pouted at that thought.

All of a sudden, Aang's face changed into an odd expression before he shouted at the top of his lungs, "PENGUIN!" I cringed and plugged my ear with a finger as he ran off with the help of his airbending.

I shook my head before giggling and grabbing Katara's hand and dragging her with me to go after him. "Come on, Katara!" I smiled as we ran up the hill after him. Snow began to get into my shoes again, but I didn't care this time. I just ignored it.

When we finally caught up to Aang, there was a whole migration of four-flipper penguins. "Aang," Katara called. We followed the sound of laughter to find Aang trying to catch a penguin, but they kept slipping away from him. As we came over to him, he got to his feet.

"I have a way with animals," Aang said. He then began to act and sound like a penguin. Katara giggled while I smiled.

"Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you teach me waterbending," Katara offered.

Aang was holding onto the tail of a penguin while it tried to get away, but he let go when he heard her offer. "You got a deal! Just one little problem," Aang said. He used his airbending so he could sit on his knees. "I'm not a waterbender, I'm an airbender." He then got to his feet. "Isn't there someone in your tribe who can teach you?"

Katara turned away. "No, you're looking at the only waterbender in the whole South Pole."

"This isn't right. A waterbender needs to master water." Aang looked like he was thinking. "What about the North Pole? There's another Water Tribe up there, right? Maybe they have waterbenders who could teach you." He gestured somewhere off in the distance.

"Maybe," Katara said. "But we haven't had contact with our sister tribe in a long time. It's not exactly "turn right at the second glacier". It's on the other side of the world."

"But you forget, I have a flying bison." Aang then pointed to himself. "Appa and I can personally fly you to the North Pole. Katara, we're gonna find you a master!"

"That's… I mean- I don't know," Katara stammered. "I've never left home before."

"I have, lots of times," I offered with a smile.

"Well, you think about it," Aang told Katara. "But in the meantime, can you teach me to catch one of these penguins?"

I, on the other hand, was already kneeling down and just staring at all the penguins. Some were curious about me but never got close enough for me to touch them.

"Okay, listen closely, my young pupil," Katara said, bowing slightly. "Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art. Observe." She pulled out a fish and threw it to Aang, who caught it. The penguins around him then all began to swarm him, wanting to get the fish.

I was also thrown a fish and it bounced off my head. I stared at it before taking it. And I was also swarmed by penguins. I smiled and giggled.

Aang, Katara, and I were now riding on the back of penguins as they slid down slopes and through tunnels in the snow and ice. We laughed and cheered in glee and excitement. Aang went up a ramp and flew over our heads before landing in front of us. Katara and I went off another ramp before landing beside Aang.

Katara laughed. "I haven't done this since I was a kid!"

"You still are a kid," Aang told her.

"I've never done this before!" I laughed and cheered. "It's so fun!"

We then began to race each other before going through a tunnel in the ice. Aang used his airbending to give his penguin speed and exited the tunnel before us. Once we did exit, the penguins slowed to a stop and we got off. The penguins then got up and waddled off, me waving after them. Katara and Aang began walking off and I turned to follow them until we stopped to stare up at a Fire Nation ship that was stuck in the ice, looking like waterbenders had bent the ice around it – which they probably did.

"Whoa," Aang gasped. "What is that?"

"A Fire Navy ship," Katara told him. "And a very bad memory for my people." Aang began to walk towards it and she held her hand out to him. "Aang, stop! We're not allowed to go near it. The ship could be booby-trapped."

Aang stopped near the ship and turned to her. "If you want to be a bender, you have to let go of fear."

Katara looked down before walking forward. She still looked uneasy about this whole situation. She then followed Aang up the ice.

I stayed behind and nosed the toe of my shoe around in the snow. "Yeah… I think I'm gonna stay down here. Just to be safe," I said. It was so soft that I was sure no one heard it. If they did, they probably weren't paying any attention. I watched as Aang helped Katara up the ice and through a hole that was made in the hull of the metal ship.

I sighed before walking around the perimeter of the ship. If I was going to wait for them to come back, I might as well do something while they did. I had walked all the way around until I came to a point where I could see the open ocean just a few yards away. I stared across the open water with a slight shudder before all of a sudden something went off and shot up into the air. Startled, I fell back onto my butt and stared up into the sky. It was a flare. I face-palmed. "Aang… You've done it now…" I muttered. I picked myself up and brushed the snow off of myself.

A telescope zoned in on the figures of Katara and Aang and watched as they hopped down to ground and landed beside me. I had brushed myself off and greeted them before we started to walk away.

"The last airbender." Zuko narrowed his good eye. "Quite agile for his old age." He turned and pointed to a soldier that stood near the door. "Wake my uncle! Tell him I've found the Avatar." He looked through the telescope as the soldier ran off to do as ordered and followed our running figures. He then looked ahead of us to see the village. "As well as his hiding place."

**Oh look! We finally figured out her name! :D Well, its not her real name. And I won't ever be telling her real name in this story either. It won't ever come up in this story. And she went penguin sledding! That does sound cool though :3**

**Zuko or Sokka? Tell me which one this story should be with. Plz review!**


	3. I'm a Waterbender!

**Hey, guys! Back with another chapter! Did I submit one yesterday? I forgot.. -.- Oh well. Enjoy! And a review answer :3**

**Gogglegirl: lol I don't know. We'll have to see. But that's a great plot ^.^ I'll keep it in mind**

The flare was still steadily falling in the air by the time we emerged on the crest of the hill that led to the village. I could see the villagers waiting for us and I slowed so that I walked behind them. I was a fast walker and didn't normally like walking slow, but this is an exception. As we drew near, the kids cheered and a few of them ran over to us.

"Yay! Aang's back!"

The kids surrounded Aang and he greeted them. Sokka emerged from the ranks of the villagers and pointed an accusing finger at us. "I knew it! You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare," he accused. "You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?"

We had walked over to stand in front of Sokka and the villagers. I still stayed behind Aang, probably for more protection from the accusing glares of Sokka and the villagers.

"Aang didn't do anything," Katara said. "It was an accident."

"Yeah, we were on the ship and then there was this booby-trap and well… we… we 'boobied' right into it," Aang said truthfully, rubbing the back of his head.

"Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship," Gran-Gran said. "Now we could all be in danger!"

"Don't blame Katara," Aang said. He then pointed to himself. "I brought her there. It's my fault." He looked down shamefully.

"Ah-ha! The traitor confesses," Sokka said. "Warriors, away from the enemy! The foreigners are banished from our village." The kids around Aang obediently walked back to the villagers. I blinked in surprise.

Katara glared at her brother. "Sokka, you're making a mistake!"

"No, I'm keeping my promise to dad," Sokka spat, pointing to himself. "I'm protecting you from threats like them." He pointed another accusing finger at me and Aang.

"I-I didn't go on the ship," I stammered.

"_Aang_ is not our enemy," Katara said. "And neither is Naomi, she didn't even go on the ship! Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time: Fun."

"Fun? We can't fight firebenders with fun!"

"You should try it sometime," Aang said with a smile.

"Get out of our village, _now_," Sokka said.

"Grandmother, please," Katara begged, taking a few steps forward. "Don't let Sokka do this."

"Katara, you _knew_ going on that ship was forbidden," Gran-Gran said matter-of-factly. "Sokka is right. I think it best if the airbender and the foreigner leaves."

"Fine," Katara shouted. "Then I'm banished, too!" She turned around and grabbed both mine and Aang's arms before pulling us away. "Come on, Aang, Naomi, let's go." She led us over to a slumbering Appa.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Sokka asked.

"To find a waterbender," Katara said matter-of-factly. "Aang is taking me to the North Pole."

"I am," Aang said, confused. But that quickly changed. "Great!"

"Katara! Would you really choose them over your tribe, your own family," Sokka asked his sister. She stopped.

I looked down and rubbed my arm with my other hand. Something like that is a hard decision. I would choose my family over anything any day, no matter how angry I may be. I knew Katara wouldn't choose anything different. I've watched this show over a dozen times before.

Aang walked over and stood beside Katara. "Katara, I don't want to come between you and your family." He then walked over to Appa.

"So, you're leaving the South Pole? This is goodbye?" Katara looked sad.

"Thanks for penguin sledding with me," Aang said as he turned around.

"Where will you go," Katara asked.

"I guess I'll go back home and look for the airbenders. You can come with me too, Naomi," Aang said. He then put on a weird expression. "Wow… I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years! Not looking forward to that." He took my hand and airbended us both on top of Appa. He sat down on Appa's head while I climbed into the saddle. He then took the reins that were tied to Appa's horns. "It was nice meeting everyone." I nodded in agreement.

"Let's see your bison fly now, air-boy," Sokka drawled.

"Come on, Appa, you can do it," Aang told the bison. "Yip-yip!" Appa growled softly as he got to his feet.

"Yeah, I thought so."

One of the little girls came crying over to Katara, standing beside her as she stared up at Aang. "Aang, don't go, I'll miss you."

Aang looked sad. "We'll miss you too." He then looked to Katara, who still had a sad look on her face. "Come on, boy," he muttered to Appa. Appa then began to walk away through the snow. Me and Katara exchanged a wave while I gave her a smile, it quickly faded as Appa walked away from the villagers.

Aang had found a spot in the ice for us to rest for a while. Appa lay on his back curled into a ball in a large hole in an ice structure while Aang lay with his staff in a smaller hole above. I sat with my back up against Appa's fur. Appa growled, or yawned – I'm not sure which. "Yeah, I liked her too," Aang told Appa sadly. He then gasped and sat up.

I blinked and stared up at the hole above my head where Aang was resting. "What is it?"

"The village," Aang gasped. He then leaped down from the hole and slid down the ice structure to land beside me. "Appa, wait here!" He then began to run away, but I grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"I'm coming, too," I told him determinedly. Aang nodded and dragged me behind him as we ran towards the village. Appa grunted softly, not moving.

"If this wasn't such a bad situation right now, I would be so totally having fun right now," I shouted over the wind to Aang. We had gotten a ride from two more penguins to get to the village faster.

Aang nodded, "I know!" We came over the crest of a hill to see that a Fire Nation ship had lodged itself in the wall of the village. "We better stay quiet so we're not detected." I nodded in agreement and stared forward.

We came closer until we could practically see what was going on. Sokka had just gotten knocked down and the leader of the landing party had broken his spear and threw it into the snow. A glint behind him signaled that Sokka's boomerang had come back, and the unsuspecting soldier was hit in the head with it. I held a hand over my mouth to quiet my giggles. I could see fire daggers sprout from the soldier's clenched fists before Aang came sliding by and knocking him off his feet. The soldier landed with his face in the snow and his butt in the air, his helmet that had flew off landed on top of his butt.

The kids cheered until Aang sprayed them with snow. But then they started back up again. Aang slid to a stop before he was thrown off by the penguin. The penguin then waddled away. My penguin slid to a stop beside Aang and I got up before mine could do the same to me. I touched its head softly before letting it waddle away with its partner.

Aang turned to look at the villagers. "Hey Katara. Hey Sokka." I waved to them with a small smile.

"Hi, Aang, Naomi, thanks for coming," Sokka said drily.

We then turned to watch as the soldier, or Zuko to be exact, signaled his soldiers to surround Aang before getting into a firebending stance. I stepped back a few steps to avoid getting struck by any of the fire that was sure to come.

Aang got up and held his staff out defensively in front of him, facing the firebenders fearlessly. He then airbended snow on the firebenders, blowing them away. Zuko, however, stood his ground and melted the snow off of him. "Looking for me," Aang asked.

"You're the airbender? You're the Avatar?" Zuko asked disbelievingly.

I heard Sokka and Katara mutter beside me.

"Aang?"

"No way."

Zuko and Aang circled around each other. "I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training. Meditating. You're just a child!"

"Well, you're just a teenager," Aang said matter-of-factly.

I put my hand up to cover up my quiet giggles. It was true; Zuko did have that coming to him. I just watched as Zuko bent fire at Aang. Aang used his staff to spin the fire away. I can't believe this, even though it's all right in front of my eyes. I loved watching this show. Aang used to be my favorite character, until I switched to Sokka. But now, Zuko was my favorite character. Though, I loved him even more when he had finally realized his destiny in Day of the Black Sun. I came back to my senses as the fire came too close and I, as well as the villagers, screamed in fear.

"If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone," Aang said, holding his staff out in front of him.

After a moment, Zuko stood up straight and nodded, signaling his soldiers to take Aang. They took his staff and pushed him towards the ship. I gasped softly and took a step forward. Zuko glanced at me with narrowed eyes before glancing to a few soldiers who stood with nothing to do. "Take the girl, too."

My eyes widened as the soldiers moved towards me. What did they want me for? I'm just a simple girl who doesn't belong in this universe! I took a step back and shook my head in disbelief and slight fear. I turned and started running away. I only got a few steps before the soldiers grabbed my arms. I gasped in fear and swung my arm at one of them. What surprised me, and everyone else, was that a bunch of snow suddenly threw itself in the soldiers' faces. They let go of me and I stumbled backwards. Blinking, I stared at my hands before slowly pointing my open hands to the ground and throwing them at the soldiers. A whole bunch of snow was suddenly thrown at the soldiers, knocking them down. I gasped loudly and stared down at my hands, forgetting about everything else. "I'm a… waterbender?"

I was snapped out of my thoughts to a pain in my arm and someone dragging me away. I squeaked in surprise and looked to see that Zuko had now grabbed both of my arms and was dragging me away and into the ship.

"No, Aang, don't do this," Katara pleaded.

"Don't worry, Katara, it'll be okay," I heard Aang say behind me. "Take care of Appa for me until I get back!"

"Head a course for the Fire Nation," Zuko said, still holding my arms tightly in his grasp. "I'm going home." We turned and watched as the front of the ship began to lift and we could see Katara on the verge of tears. Aang smiled at her but it faltered when the shadow of the piece fell on his face.

Zuko held up Aang's staff as he examined it. "This staff will make an excellent gift for my father," he said. "I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks." Well, that was a bit harsh. I've seen this episode a hundred times and yet I didn't really think it was as harsh as I think now. "Take the Avatar to the prison hold." The soldiers grabbed Aang and began to lead him away. He then held the staff to the man, who I knew was Iroh, beside him. "And take this to my quarters."

Iroh took the staff before handing it to the soldier behind him. "Hey, you mind taking this to his quarters for me?"

Zuko grabbed me by my arm and began leading me away into the ship. "And you're coming with me, _waterbender_." I squeaked as he jerked me with him. I reluctantly began to walk.

"I… I didn't even know that I was a waterbender," I said aloud.

"How do you not know if you're a waterbender," Zuko asked, annoyed. He glanced at me from the corner of his golden eye.

"I-I don't know… I just didn't!" I told him truthfully.

Zuko opened the door to his quarters and threw me inside before him. I squeaked again as I stumbled inside before falling with a thud on my side. I cringed and whimpered, not used to dealing with this sort of treatment. I was never thrown on the ground before, and I've never fought before in my life. This wasn't even how I imagined meeting Prince Zuko would be like. I looked up as he closed the door behind him.

"You're pathetic," Zuko growled.

I blinked up at him as he towered over me and I struggled to a sitting position. I looked down, some of my blonde hair falling from behind my ears. "I know I am…"

"How do you not you're a waterbender," Zuko asked again.

I looked up to see that Zuko had bent down slightly to glare at me. "I-I don't know, okay?" I told him with a slight shout to my voice. He narrowed his eyes dangerously at me and I shied away from him, regretting raising my voice. I had that problem a lot. If someone didn't hear what I said the first time, I would always reply a little louder than was necessary.

Zuko looked like he was getting ready to retort or do something but he stood up when a noise came from in the hallway. Zuko then went over and stood beside the door before opening it, waiting for Aang to come. He then glared at me, daring me to make a sound. I shied away from his stare again and decided to try and pry my hands from the rope that bound them behind my back.

I looked up to see Aang staring at me. "Naomi," he said. "My staff." He spotted his staff behind me. I opened my mouth to say something as he ran towards me, but it was already too late. The door shut and locked behind Aang.

"Looks like I underestimated you," Zuko said. He then began to shoot fire at Aang and I squealed and rolled away from the fire.

I squeezed my eyes tight and lay on my side, waiting for Zuko to stop firebending. I waited for what seemed like five minutes before I felt the rope being ripped off my wrists and I was pulled to my feet. I opened my eyes to see Aang leading me away from Zuko's quarters with his staff in hand.

We ran through the bridge and he threw his staff out in the air and watched as it opened before he leaped and grabbed onto it with one hand. All of a sudden, a weight grabbed onto Aang and I looked down to see that Zuko had jumped and grabbed onto Aang's ankle. Aang tried to stay up in the air but mine and Zuko's weight together was too much for him and we fell to the deck.

I grunted as I landed on my back and just lay there, winded. The breath had been driven from my lungs and my back hurt. Oh god, this felt like those many times I had fallen and I couldn't get up because my back and chest hurt too much and I couldn't breathe for like five minutes. And that was also when I had sprained my wrist for like the third time. So, I just lay there cringing on the deck, waiting for air to find its way back into my lungs. I turned my head to see what was happening. A growl was heard and we all looked to see Appa flying towards the ship.

"What is that?" Zuko asked.

"…" I tried to speak but it hurt too much and I still couldn't breathe. Dammit… This is why I was 'pathetic', as Zuko said. I couldn't take pain at all.

"Appa!" Aang said happily. He then turned and tried to spin the fire away, but he was blown back and almost fell overboard. He was able to keep his balance though. Aang kept deflecting the fire with his staff until it was knocked from his grasp and he had to resort to dodging the flames by jumping onto the railing. He tried to keep his balance by waving his arms frantically, but Zuko kept throwing fire at him. That's when Aang fell over the side.

"Aang, no!" I could hear Katara's voice. "Aang, Aang, _Aang_!"

I was finally able to catch my breath and I rolled to my knees slowly. I coughed but I didn't even try to stand yet. All of a sudden, a water funnel shot up into the air, with Aang on top of it. He landed on the deck and bent the water around him. I could see that his eyes and arrow tattoos were glowing. He was in the Avatar state. He bent the water in a circle, and spread it out, hitting soldiers and throwing them to the deck. Zuko wasn't so lucky and he fell overboard. Somehow, the water was bent around me, and missed me completely.

I watched as Aang slowly fell to his knees and then fell down, not glowing anymore. Appa flew down and landed on the deck while Katara and Sokka got down and ran over to Aang. "Aang! Are you okay?" Katara asked. Katara ran to Aang's side while, for whatever reason, Sokka ran over to me.

Sokka stopped beside me. "Hey, you okay?" He held a hand out to me.

I looked up to him and I slowly took his hand. He helped me up and I winced as I stood up. I put my hands on my knees to keep my back bent a bit before I slowly stood up straight. "Not… really…" I told him, my voice hoarse with still obvious pain. "Breath… driven from me… back hurts…" I shook my head. "I'm fine now… though." I began to walk over to Aang and Katara while Sokka followed behind me.

"Hey Katara. Hey Sokka. Thanks for coming," Aang said, restating what Sokka had said back at the village.

"Well, I couldn't let you have all the glory," Sokka said with a smirk.

"I dropped my staff."

"Got it!" Sokka said, giving me a quick glance, then ran over to pick up the staff. But a hand grabbed it and I could see Zuko trying to pull himself up with it. Sokka smacked Zuko's head with the end of the staff a few times before he let go and fell again. "Ha! That's from the water tribe!" Sokka called triumphantly. He then ran back over to us.

I shook my head in amusement and watched as Katara helped Aang onto Appa before she turned to face three soldiers that got up with spears. She bent a stream of water and they stopped, watching her. She tried to throw it at them but it ended up being thrown back and froze on Sokka's feet.

"Katara!"

Sokka began to chop away the ice with his boomerang. Katara turned towards Sokka and bent the water around her with closed eyes before doing the same as she did before. When she opened her eyes and turned, she saw that she had successfully frozen the water around the soldiers. She then climbed onto Appa.

"Hurry up, Sokka!"

Sokka was still trying to chop at the ice on his feet. "I'm just a guy with a boomerang. I didn't ask for all this flying and magic." He successfully freed himself and picked up Aang's staff before running up Appa's tail. "Yip-yip, yip-yip!"

Aang turned to see that I still hadn't moved. He reached a hand down to help me up, along with Sokka. "Come on, Naomi!" I grabbed their hands and they pulled me up and into the saddle. Appa then flew away threw the air and tried to get as far away from the Fire Navy ship as he could.

"Shoot them down!"

I heard Zuko's voice echo from the ship and I turned from my position at the back of the saddle to see Zuko and Iroh shoot a fireball towards us. Aang leaped over my head to stand on the back of the saddle and Sokka and I had to duck as he bent a stream of air at the fireball, knocking it off course. The fireball hit the glacier beside us and melted a bunch of snow that fell onto the front of the ship. We began to cheer, but I leaned over the saddle too far and I lost my balance and fell over the side.

I screamed as I plummeted through the air. I saw the trio gasp and Aang go to turn Appa around, but I was falling too quickly. I actually caught a glimpse of Sokka's horrified face. I felt myself make contact with the snow and fell straight down through it a few feet before I came to a stop. Snow fell in the hole over me, blocking me under the avalanche and blocking any air from coming through. I tried to claw my way through the snow but I must have fallen too deep because snow kept falling on top of me, getting me nowhere. I gave up and just tried to conserve the air around me for breathing regularly and hoping that someone would dig me out. I didn't care who it was at this point. I probably wouldn't mind if it was the Fire Lord himself. But I doubt he would save me anyway. I closed my eyes and just waited, trying to slow my fast-beating heart down to a normal pace and trying to take small breaths of air to conserve the air I had left in this hole.

***gasps* Noooo! D: She fell! . I'm still wondering if I should make this a SokkaxNaomi story or a ZukoxNaomi story... Can I have some votes plz? Zumi or Sokki? (might come up with a better name for SokkaxNaomi later... .)**

**And she's a waterbender?! Cool! :D So now we know what's the first element she knows :3 But what's the second element, I wonder? Hmm... :/**

**Lol plz review!**


	4. My Savior

**I'm back! :D lol I hope you enjoy this chapter ^.^**

**luckystar125: Thank you! :3 and yes, I completely agree now. And I see that it would be wise to put it as a Zumi story instead after reading this chapter xD Zuko acts so flustered lol You'll find out why x3**

I don't remember what happened after that. Well, probably nothing happened, because I was still lying in the freezing snow. I had begun to shiver with the cold, even with the Water Tribe coat I had on. I remembered a song I had heard and I tried to remember the rhythm of it.

_Just close your eyes…_

_You'll be alright…_

I don't know how long I had been stuck in the avalanche, but I had started to feel water trickle down my skin and that made me shiver even more. I blinked my eyes open to see the last of the snow being dug off of me and I felt a pair of hands grab me. I closed my eyes and I allowed myself to be pulled out of the snow. I heard voices around me and I blinked my eyes open again to see that I was lying in someone's arms. I looked up through half closed eyes to see a face above me. I could just make out the red skin of a scar. I blinked in confusion. Zuko… Zuko had saved me? I shivered from the cold and closed my eyes.

"So… cold…" I managed to mutter out. I knew Zuko heard me because I felt him tense up slightly. Absentmindedly, I moved closer to him and I could almost immediately feel warmth seep through to me, even through his armor and my cold clothes. I felt slightly better from the warmth. "So… warm…" That was the last thing I remembered before I lost consciousness.

_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_I remember, you said "Don't leave me here alone."_

_But all that's dead and gone and past, tonight_

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

…

_Don't you dare look out your window_

_Darling everything's on fire_

_The war outside our door keeps raging on_

_Curled up to this lullaby_

_Even when the music's gone, gone_

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

…

_Just close your eyes_

_You'll be alright_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound…_

I was finally able to regain my senses after I-don't-know-how-long. I didn't open my eyes though. I'm always lazy like this. I never want to get out of bed. I just want to sleep the day away, but I know I can't. I can only sleep if it's completely dark and completely quiet. I can't even fall asleep in a car, even if I really wanted to. And I can't sleep on the floor, in a chair, or on a couch either. It just doesn't work out for me.

I felt warm, unlike the last time I opened my eyes. I tightened the blankets around myself and curled up into myself more. This bed didn't feel like the mattress I had at home but I didn't care. I never want to leave this bed. It was so warm. Wait… If this isn't my mattress and if I'm not at home… then where am I?

I blinked my eyes open slowly. I flicked my green gaze around the room. It was made of metal and the walls were bare. The only thing that was in the room was the bed, a desk, and a chair. I blinked in confusion before rolling onto my back. I glanced over to the wall beside the bed and I could see a window.

_I'm still in the Avatar world… but why? How? I thought this was all a dream. Oh…wait. I hurt my back earlier when we fell to the deck. So, this is obviously not a dream. That was painful…_

The good thing is I don't feel any pain anymore. I sighed and rolled over on my side so that I was facing the door. I curled myself into a ball once more and just stared at the walls.

I blinked and watched the door as it opened. I narrowed my eyes in confusion as to who would come into the room until I saw Zuko step in. My eyes widened in surprise before I closed my eyes and curled my knees to my chest even more. I didn't know what Zuko was here for but it probably wasn't good. For the first time, I actually realized I wasn't wearing the Water Tribe coat. I flinched slightly as I heard Zuko walk over to stand beside the bed.

"I know you're awake." His voice was surprisingly soft, unlike earlier when he was trying to capture Aang. I stayed silent and kept my eyes closed. He must have been standing there for at least a minute because I felt a finger gently poke my forehead, making me flinch once more.

I opened my eyes and just stared at Zuko's hand, which his finger was still resting on my forehead. I flicked a quick glance at his face to see he had an unknown emotion written on his face. It wasn't something you'd normally see this early in the series, even in the Earth series either, maybe. He was probably in deep thought about something. _But about what?_ I blinked before relaxing the rest of my body, for it had tensed up. "Thank you… for saving me," I said softly. My voice was low again, but I knew that Zuko would've heard it.

Zuko blinked in slight surprise before realizing what was happening and he stumbled backwards a few steps. He cleared his throat and put on his almost emotionless face once more. And by "almost" emotionless, I mean his angry, irritated face. "It's not like I actually _wanted_ to save you," he snapped. "My Uncle insisted and I also need you for information on the Avatar's whereabouts." He said all this whilst staring at the wall at the head of the bed. Was that a slight blush on his cheeks? No… I'm just seeing things from my second near-death experience.

I blinked slowly before giving a small smile. Though, I hid it from Zuko, of course. I closed my eyes and hummed "Mmhm…" disbelievingly. I heard a scoff before footsteps could be heard walking away, followed by the opening and closing of the door. When he was gone, I sighed once more and opened my eyes. Maybe being in the Avatar world wasn't so bad after all? I smiled at that and closed my eyes. Fortunately for me, I was able to get some more sleep.

**The song mentioned in this chapter is one of my favorite songs, _Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift_. It was in the movie _Hunger Games_. If you haven't watched that movie yet, you should. It was awesome! My mom wouldn't let me watch it before but we had a really boring day and couldn't find anything to watch on Netflix and then found that. So we decided to watch it. Turns out she actually liked it too! :D**

**Anywaaaayys... *ahem* Aww! A little bit of Zumi fluff there :3 See what I mean? It'd be wise to make it a Zumi fic now that I had written that part out. I didn't notice it before but now I do xD I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be long as hell. So it'll take me a little longer to write it. Plz review!**


	5. A Friend and New Clothes

**Omg, I am so sorry to the people who follow this story D: I had completely forgotten that I had written out this chapter and I haven't been able to write any more to this series because A:TLA had been taken off of Netflix DX but no worries :3 I found this site that has all the cartoons I watch on there, as well as anime! :D So now we're back in action X3 I am currently working on the next chapter, so don't worry :3**

**I thank those of you who have been following my stories and reviewed. I lost the reviews to the previous chapter in my long list of emails, so I can't reply. But if you review to any of the chapters from now on (including this one), I can see them and answer you :3 But I still thank you all for being so patient. I'm working on a bunch of stories at once, so I'm multi-tasking here XD I hope you can deal with that?**

**Anyways, enjoy!~**

When I opened my eyes, I had woken up to a squeaking noise. And it wasn't like an animal noise either; it was more like metal scraping against metal. I blinked a few times before yawning.

"Ah, so you're finally awake!"

I blinked in surprise, fully awake by the voice now, and glanced towards the door. Iroh had just closed the door and walked over to the desk and set down the tea set. He turned to me and gave me a warm smile. I blinked before finding myself smiling as well. I sat up and stretched my arms above my head, squealing softly all the while. I often did that when I stretched. When I finished stretching, I noticed that Iroh was staring at me in amusement.

"What?" I asked. "Is it wrong to stretch?"

Iroh shook his head with a laugh. "No, no, I've just never known anyone who would squeak and stretch, like you do." He laughed whole-heartedly, making me smile.

I giggled as well. "Well, my mom does that, too. So it's not just me." I shook my head in amusement. "It just means it's a good stretch!"

Iroh nodded in agreement before pouring a cup of tea. "Would you like some tea, Miss…?"

"N-Naomi," I told him. "My name's Naomi."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Iroh commented with a smile, which was rewarded with a shake of my head in amusement. "Would you like some tea, Miss Naomi?"

"Just Naomi is fine," I said, shaking my hands slightly in the air. I thought about it for a moment. I've never actually tried…No, that's wrong. I've tried tea before and I never really liked it. Maybe I'm just not into all that flavored leaf-type water stuff. I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Thank you, though."

Iroh nodded and sat down on the floor in front of the bed. "It is a pleasure." Feeling a bit embarrassed, I slid down from the bed and sat down on the floor in front of him. He sipped at his tea. "It is nice to sit among friends, is it not?" He smiled in my direction.

I smiled back. "Yes, it is," I agreed. "Though, I have to admit. Befriending a general of the Fire Nation is rare nowadays."

Iroh blinked and then nodded. "I'm a retired general," he corrected me.

_I know that, but it would be suspicious if I said so out loud…_ "Right," I feigned a sheepish smile.

"There are friends among all the Nations," Iroh explained. I nodded. He smiled mischievously in my direction, giving me a knowing feeling. "My nephew was worried about your wellbeing when you fell through the snow. You should have seen him! He was frantic, trying to dig you out."

I blinked and stared down at my lap. Zuko was worried about me, a girl he barely even knew? Maybe it was _because _I'm a girl that he was worried. I smiled at that. Maybe he wasn't all _that_ selfish during this part of the series.

Iroh finished the last of his tea, set the cup on the tray, and stood up with a stretch. "We will be docking to make repairs soon."

Oh, right. I forgot that they have to dock at Admiral Zhao's port. Though, he's not quite an Admiral yet. He's still a Captain, if I'm remembering correctly. I stood up as well. "Umm… Do you perhaps have a set of clothes I can have or borrow for the time being? My clothes aren't exactly- …Well…" I glanced down at my attire. I still had my pink sweater on with the white snowflake design on it. I'm still going to keep it. I love that sweater.

Iroh saw my attire as well and nodded, giving me a smile. "Of course, I'll see what I can do." He bowed to me Fire Nation style, me trying to copy the best I could, before taking the tea set and leaving, closing the door behind him.

My smile slowly disappeared as I listened to Iroh's footsteps fade. It got kind of lonely in here, now that I think about it. I don't have any of my pets here in this world. I sighed at that thought with a frown. Mittens was left all alone without me at home. My poor Baby Girl… She's probably going to pester my mom the whole time I'm gone.

Shaking my head to rid my mind of depressing thoughts, I looked down at my sweater before unzipping it and taking it off. I set my pink sweater on the bed and glanced down at my shirt. I smiled despite myself at the sight of my favorite shirt. It was a light purple color with a picture of two white wolf heads, one licking the other's nose, in front of a large moon. It was a beautiful shirt and I loved it. Especially because my Big Brother bought it for me at State Fair. I hugged my arms around myself and twirled before falling into a sitting position on the bed. I put my hands on the bed behind me to support myself as I leaned back slightly. The door opened and I looked to the door, smiling all the while. But it quickly faltered when I saw a familiar grumpy face enter the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Welcome back, Prince Zuko," I greeted him, only showing a small smile. "What do you need?"

"Oh, shut up," Zuko snapped. I flinched and shied away from his glare, no longer smiling now. "What were you smiling about?"

I shrugged, avoiding his piercing golden gaze. "Just some memories, that's all." I glanced at him for a brief moment. "What do you need," I asked once more.

"I need information," Zuko said, his voice deep as he stepped closer. "Where is the Avatar headed?"

I blinked and mentally rolled my eyes. I was _sooo_ tempted to say 'Up your ass and around the corner', but I held back. The kids at school were _way_ too much of a bad influence on my nice and peaceful life. I cuss almost constantly at school, but when I'm at home, I keep my sharp tongue locked away and my soft tongue out of the cage. This is just going to be like when I'm at home, muttering cuss words under my breath when I can.

"I don't know, they didn't talk about their plan before I fell," I told him, shrugging as I finished. It was only half true. They didn't tell me their plans before I fell. Though, of course, I knew where they were headed. I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I watched this show a hundred times over.

Zuko narrowed his eyes as he studied me. If you could really shrink under someone's intense stare, I would have right then and there. "You are going to tell me what you know, whether you like it or not. Whether I have to force it out of you or not," he threatened, making a chill run up my spine at the thought of him torturing me. "We will be docking soon, so don't even think about trying to escape," he continued.

"Oh, I wouldn't even dream of it. I assure you," I told him softly.

Zuko glared at me for a few more moments before exiting and closing the door with a slight slam behind him. I rolled my eyes and I fell backwards so that I lay on my back with a huff. Dealing with Zuko was such a pain! How does Uncle do it throughout the season? I sighed as I stared up at the metal ceiling. This trip is going to be a long one, I can already tell. I sat up almost reluctantly as I heard a knock at my door. I tilted my head in slight confusion and curiosity before allowing the person to enter. I blinked in remembrance as General Iroh came in with some clothes draped over his arm.

"Hi, Iroh," I feigned a smile before sighing. "How do you deal with Prince Zuko? He's such a royal pain…" I then internally smirked. I remember my mom used to watch a show called _Royal Pains_. I forgot what it was about…Oh yeah! Wasn't it about those two brothers and one of them was a doctor that went around helping people? It had its moments. The non-doctor of the two brothers was afraid of thunder storms. I thought that was hilarious because he yelped like girl!

"Yes, he is hard to deal with sometimes," Iroh admitted. Sometimes? More like all the time. "But you have to have patience, which I have a lot of."

"Trust me, I have plenty of patience," I told him. It was true, I have plenty of patience. But, if I was waiting in a room for a long period of time for something, I tend to get bored. That's why I always bring a book or something with me.

Iroh nodded, "I don't doubt that." He then held out the clothes he had in his arms. "I managed to find these for you."

I stood up and took the bundle of dark red clothes. "Thank you," I smiled. He smiled back with that kind smile of his before leaving me to change into my new clothes. I stripped out of my clothes and quickly got into my new ones in case _someone_, not mentioning any names, barges in here unexpectedly again. When I was finished, I checked myself out in the mirror that had come with the room I got. The mirror was on the opposite wall of the desk and it was long enough for me to see my whole body in the reflection.

I wore a black short-sleeve shirt with a dark red long-sleeve shirt over the top that had gold lining on the collar, sleeves, and the bottom of the shirt. A black Fire Nation insignia was on the back of the shirt. I had on almost black - because the red was so dark - pants on that reached to my ankles. And I also wore red - the actual color red, not just a dark red - flats with yellow flames on them. They actually looked cool. But, I have to admit. I've never worn flats in my life. They kind of feel weird, but I'm not complaining. I folded my clothes and put them in a bottom drawer of the desk, along with my shoes, storing them away for the time being.

Once that was done, I examined myself once more. I thought I actually looked decent, in my opinion. I'm not really one to wear anything fancy or nice. And I rarely wear any dresses, believe it or not. But, I actually feel a little girly with these flats on. I don't normally feel girly unless I'm wearing a dress. And then I act really, really weird. Like seriously, you might not be able to recognize my personality. I just remembered I was wearing a hair tie on my wrist along with four wristbands and I put my hair up in a pony-tail. There was a knock on the door and I turned to it with a bright smile on my face and my hands clasped behind my back. "Come in!"

Iroh entered. I expected so. He saw my attire and my expression before smiling warmly. "You look lovely! I thought that might look good on you," he exclaimed.

I flushed in embarrassment. "I don't normally wear flats, but I think they're awesome," I smiled at him.

"Good, good. We have docked now and my nephew and I will be leaving the ship for a bit," Iroh explained.

I blinked. "Really?" I then brought my hands in front of me and clasped them together in a hopeful/pleading display. "Can I come? Please?"

"Well…" He seemed to be thinking about it, stroking his beard as he did so.

"It's not like I'm going to go anywhere, I have nowhere to go to," I sighed truthfully. "And besides, I'd stick by you. So even if I did try to escape, you'd be there to stop me, right?"

"True," Iroh admitted thoughtfully. He then beamed at me. "I think that can be arranged." I smiled at him. He gestured for me to follow and I followed him out, closing my door as I did so.

Once we were walking through the halls, my smile became a nervous frown. "Iroh, what if Prince Zuko doesn't want me to come," I asked nervously. I didn't like to be yelled at. It kind of makes me feel hated in some situations. And I don't like it when people are angry or hate me. "Now, I'm not so sure…" My pace had slowed and I was trailing behind Iroh as we walked.

Iroh glanced at me over his shoulder before stopping, letting me catch up to him, and putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry about my nephew. I will make sure you come." He gave me a reassuring smile, which I soon returned, before walking away with me following close behind, feeling very relieved and reassured.

**Yay! Now Naomi has nice clothes to where! I kind of like her outfit :3 I made the flats up lol I don't know if there is any design such as the ones I used in this chapter for the clothes, I just made it all up :3 But I hope you like it, cuz I do! :D And the next chapter will be following the episode, so it'll be long as well XD I think. Oh well. Plz review!**

**Luna WhiteWolf~**


	6. Perverted Bastard

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long D: I've just been busy writing another story _Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitten_, or _TMNK_ for short lol but I finally got this chapter done and I'm gonna start the next one here real soon :3 And I'm also working on the next chapter to _TMNK_ as well. It's just taking me a while because I'm not following any of the eps for that ch XD It has more fluffiness between Tracy and Kuro. I promise :3 And April appears more in it too! lol I'll shut up with the spoilers now lol**

**foxchick1: Hey, thanks! lol You follow my _TMNK_ story too XD I'm glad you like this one :3**

**Enjoy!~**

When Iroh and I had gotten out on deck to meet with Zuko, he didn't look so happy when he spotted me. I immediately ducked my head to avoid his blazing gaze. He had yelled at me about being out of my room - 'cell' as he called it - and Iroh persuaded him to let me come along. He finally just grunted and turned away, silently agreeing but not liking it. I nervously followed behind the two, keeping close to Iroh for comfort. We walked off the ship and got on the docks.

"Uncle, I want repairs made as quickly as possible," Zuko announced. "I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail."

"You mean the Avatar," Iroh said, only for both of us to stop as Zuko whipped around.

"Don't mention his name on these docks," he told us. "Once word gets out that he's alive, every firebender will be out looking for him and I don't want anyone getting in the way."

I tensed up as a voice echoed from behind Zuko. "Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?" We all turned to see Zhao walking over to us.

"Captain Zhao," Zuko greeted, not in the least trying to be friendly.

"It's Commander now," Zhao told him. Oh, right. I forgot he had been promoted to that. "General Iroh, great hero of our nation." He bowed to said general.

"_Retired_ general," Iroh corrected, bowing as well.

"The Firelord's brother and son are welcome guests any time. And who might this be?" Zhao turned his attention to me, giving a cocky smirk in my direction. Oh god…is he flirting? Is he trying to freaking _flirt_ with me? That freaking perverted bastard.

Before I could answer, not that I was going to anyway, Zuko stepped in between us. I let out an inaudible relieved sigh. "That's none of your concern."

Seemingly unfazed by this, Zhao spoke again to Zuko and Iroh. "What brings you to my harbor," he asked.

Iroh was the one who answered. "Our ship is being repaired." He gestured to the ship where damage could clearly be seen from the front and side on the bow of the ship.

"That's quite a bit of damage," Zhao commented.

"Yes, you wouldn't believe what happened," Zuko said. "Uncle, tell Commander Zhao what happened."

Iroh seemed surprised but he quickly recovered. "Yes, I will do that," he said. "It was incredible!" He then whispered to Zuko. "What, did we crash or something?"

"Yes! Right into…an Earth Kingdom ship," Zuko answered. I chewed on my bottom lip as I seen Zhao furrow his brows.

"Really? You must regale me with all the _thrilling_ details," he smirked. He leaned forward to stare at Zuko's face. "Join me for a drink?"

"Sorry, but we have to go." Zuko took a few steps away before Iroh stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect." He then turned to said commander. "We would be honored to join you. Do you have any Ginseng tea? It's my favorite." He walked away, with Zhao right behind him.

I continued to chew my lip as I shuffled my feet a bit, glancing to Zuko. He growled and bent a bit of fire before turning to walk after his uncle and commander. "Come on," he growled, taking hold of my wrist, a bit too tightly for my comfort, and dragging me behind him. "You're coming with us."

"O-okay…" I complied and followed him, not wanting to make him even more agitated by resisting. I just obeyed and went along with their little 'plan'. Whatever plan they had.

-ATLA-

We sat in one of the tents with Commander Zhao telling a story of some sort of battle plan or something. I wasn't really paying any attention. I was just messing with my ponytail and bangs. Zuko and I were sitting at a small table while Zhao stared at a map of the nations behind Zuko. Well, Zuko was sitting in a chair while I sat crisscross on the floor beside him. Iroh was examining a rack of weapons on one side of the room. I watched said general curiously.

"And by year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule," Zhao finished. "The Firelord will finally claim victory in this war."

"If my father thinks that the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool," Zuko countered. _You go that right,_ I thought with a mental scoff. Zhao had just sat down in the chair on the other side of Zuko, while Iroh examined a spear behind them.

"Two years at sea has done little to temper your tongue," Zhao observed. "So, how is your search for the Avatar going?"

The spears that were on the rack all toppled over and clattered to the ground noisily, making me cringe. I snorted softly in amusement as I watched Iroh back away as he apologized.

"We haven't found him yet," Zuko told him.

"Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the airbenders." I watched Zuko avert his gaze, and I averted my own, thinking how wrong these damn firebenders were. "Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar is alive." I could just hear the smirk in that damn commander's voice.

"No, nothing."

"Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war," Zhao told him as he stood up to walk around the small table. "If you have an _ounce_ of loyalty left, you'll tell what you've found."

I narrowed my eyes. This bastard is really starting to get on my nerves…more than usual. I mean, I hated him throughout the Water series right up until the time he died – which I'm grateful he could be out of the picture – but now he's just a cocky bastard that needs a good kneed in the crotch.

"I haven't found anything." Zuko met Zhao's gaze. "It's like you said, the Avatar probably died a long time ago." He then got up and started to walk towards the entrance. "Come on, Uncle, Naomi, we're going." I blinked in surprise. He actually used my name. But it quickly turned to another mental scowl as Zuko was blocked.

A guard walked inside while two others kept Zuko inside. "Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape. They managed to keep the girl, a friend of the Avatar's, and kept her with them." I tensed up and fidgeted with my hair some more before sending a nervous glance in Zuko's and Iroh's direction as I was brought into the conversation.

"Now, remind me. How _exactly_ was your ship damaged?" Zhao walked up behind Zuko, sending me a cocky smirk as well. I shuddered. This guy was really giving me the creeps, as well as getting on my nerves at the same time.

-ATLA-

Zuko was now sitting in the now again while I sat crisscross on the floor beside him. Two guards stood behind us, making me feel uncomfortable. Zhao was pacing in front of us. Iroh was sitting in the chair on the other side of the small coffee table.

"So a twelve year old boy bested you and your firebenders," Zhao said, stopping beside Iroh with his hands clasped behind his back. "You're more pathetic than I thought." I narrowed my eyes slightly but didn't say anything. Zuko isn't pathetic... Wait, why am I defending him?

"I underestimated him once, but it will not happen again," Zuko promised him.

"No it will not," Zhao agreed. "Because you won't have a second chance."

"Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and I-"

"And you failed!" Zhao turned around with an arc of flame, making me and flinch and lean back with a small inaudible whimper. "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now." He glanced at me with a smirk. "And I think I'll be taking her, too. The _waterbender_." My eyes widened as my breath hitched in my throat. Oh, this bastard…

Zuko was obviously furious now. About which part of the conversation, I was unsure of. He stood up with a shout to attack Zhao, but the guards stepped around me and the chair before grabbing a hold of Zuko, stopping him.

"Keep them here." Zhao turned around and left the tent. Once he had, Zuko kicked over the coffee table, spilling tea everywhere.

"More tea please," Iroh told the guards.

Zuko and Iroh were now sitting in chairs that were facing each other while I still sat on the floor beside Zuko. I glanced up as I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye and I grew tense once more as Zhao walked in.

"My search party is ready," he said, stopping with his hands on his hips. "Once I'm out at sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you'll be free to go."

"Why? Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?" Zuko asked, turning his head to stare at the commander.

Zhao let out a laugh. "You…stop me? Impossible."

Zuko stood up in an instant, looking defiant. "Don't underestimate me, Zhao! I _will_ capture the Avatar _before_ you," he told him.

Iroh stood up as well. "Prince Zuko, that's enough!"

"You can't compete with me," Zhao said. "I have hundreds of warships under my command! And you…you're just a banished prince." Oh, here we go. "No home. No allies. Your own father doesn't even want you." He definitely went there. I narrowed my eyes, but bit my lip so that I didn't say anything I would regret. I wanted to say something, but I was helping myself calm down by defending the young prince in my mind.

"You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne."

"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now. Avatar or no Avatar," Zhao said. It's true, but please don't go any further… "But in his eyes, you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation." He went there again…

"That's not true."

"You have the scare to prove it."

Zuko let out a shout of agitation. "Maybe you'd like one to match!" Zhao made Zuko angry again…

"Is that a challenge?"

"An Agni Kai! At sunset," Zuko told him.

"Very well, it's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you," Zhao said, turning around. "I guess your uncle will do." I narrowed my eyes and stuck my tongue out childishly at his back as he left the tent. _Big freaking bastard. That's right, leave while you have the chance before Zuko blows your head clean off your shoulders!_ That's what I wanted to say anyway. I was surprised I was still sitting throughout that entire tense situation.

"Prince Zuko, have you forgotten the last time you dueled a master?" Iroh asked his nephew. I glanced at Zuko, my nerves beginning to calm down some as I knew Zhao was away from the tent.

"I will never forget."

-ATLA-

We were all in a court of some sort outside, the sun setting beside us on the horizon. I found myself admiring the sky. At my house, we don't get to see skies like this…they're not beautiful. Even if the sunset is beautiful, you can't even see it because of all the buildings. Anyway, Zhao was kneeling on one side of the court facing his guards while Zuko was kneeling on the other side in front of me and Iroh. The two challenging firebenders were facing away from each other. I already knew Zuko would win this, but it kind of added extra pressure knowing that if he won, I wouldn't have to go with that perverted bastard on the other side of the court.

"Remember your firebending basics, Prince Zuko," Iroh told his nephew. "They are your greatest weapons."

"I refuse to let him win." Zuko stood up and turned towards Zhao, who also stood and turned towards him. The cloaks on both men's shoulders fell to the ground behind them.

"This will be over quickly," Zhao said.

A guard rang a gong…if that's what it's called. I kind of forgot. And the two firebenders got into firebending stances. They stood there for a few moments, just glaring at each other. I stepped closer to Iroh, trying to seek even a little comfort in this tense situation. Zuko made the first move, sending a fire punches at Zhao. I think he dodged the first few, but he made the last one explode harmlessly in front of him. He was smirking while Zuko was panting. Zuko then twisted and sent an arc of flame with his foot at Zhao before sending more flame at him with his foot. Zhao used his own firebending to move the fire out of his way before sending fire along the ground at Zuko, who made it disappear.

"Basics, Zuko," Iroh told him. "Break his root!" I watched intently from his side. Watching things like this on TV and seeing it with your own eyes is _completely_ different. I'm just saying.

Zhao took a step forward and threw fire at Zuko, who stepped back as he moved it out of his way. They did that three more times, but the fourth time sent Zuko onto his back. He groaned and was trying to get up when he gasped, seeing Zhao leap forward and land in front of him. Zhao sent a punch of flame to his face, making Zuko widen his eyes, but he moved out of the way in time and twisted his body so that he swiped Zhao's legs out from under him. He then stepped forward, sending a wave of flame at Zhao's feet as he tried to gain his balance. Zuko did it once more as Iroh smirked proudly. Zuko sent two kicks of flame at Zhao, who moved the first out of his way but was sent back with the last one, sending him rolling away before coming to a stop on his back. Zuko stood over him, his fist held out towards Zhao's head as he lifted his head to look at Zuko.

"Do it!" Zhao ordered.

Zuko immediately obliged and punched flame at him, only for it to hit the pavement beside Zhao's head. He stood up straight as Zhao glared at him.

"That's it? Your father raised a coward," Zhao taunted.

"Next time you get in my way, I _promise_, I won't hold back." Zuko then turned and began to walk away. As he was walking away, me tensing up as I waited, Zhao stood up and twisted around with a shout as he sent an arc of flame at the prince with his foot. Iroh caught his foot, making the flame dissipate, before knocking him back and sending him sliding back. Zuko went to attack Zhao angrily, but Iroh held him back.

"No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory." Zuko stood up straight while Iroh turned back towards Zhao. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is _more_ honorable than you," Iroh said. "Thanks again for the tea. It was delicious." He then turned and walked away with Zuko at his side. I was still standing in my spot, admiring the scene that had unfolded, but was snapped back to reality as they passed me. "Come on, Naomi."

I smiled, "Okay!" I caught up with them and walked on the other side of Iroh. I glanced at the two firebenders out of the corner of my eye.

"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" Zuko asked once we had left the court.

"Of course! I told you Ginseng tea is my favorite."

I shook my head slightly in amusement at this. Of course he meant what he said, Zuko. He just doesn't want to say it now because he has tea back on his mind again. I glanced up at the orange sky. I think I'm beginning to enjoy my stay here in the Avatar world. It may have its ups and downs, but I'm still enjoying it so far. I wonder what adventure we'll be going on next…

**Yay! :D lol did you like this chapter? I kind of did, but then idk XD I seriously do hate Zhao...he's just a big perverted bastard that really needs to get kneaded in the crotch lolz Plz review!**

**Luna WhiteWolf~**


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